Why Somaliland Needs A Leadership Change?

[Deeq A.]

A political change — at every level of government – is always crucial to all democratic countries. A political change occurs when the need to change a government of a country or leader arises and becomes urgent.

A leadership change becomes inevitable not only in times when periodic elections are due, but more importantly in times when the impact of poor leadership impairs a nation’s right to exist.

In general, a government leader is changed when he loses the way, fails to come up with a vision for the nation, goes astray and then becomes a liability to the country. And when a leader becomes a burden on the country, nations mostly go into crises after crises, if not crumble to pieces.

Every country is described by what its leaders do for or take from it. The trouble is that the whole exercise is undermined when performances and procedures are not scrutinized.

Proving causality is not impossible. We can simply find the pattern of association between the image of our country and our present leaders decline in terms of nation-building. And there is evidence that the latter causes immeasurable casualties.

The bad economy and political anxiety that S/land people had experienced in the era of Kulmiye administrations just tells us the type of leaders S/land has had for almost the past seven years.

A recent research discovered that S/land present leadership is very demagogic in nature. When historians and political analysts rank S/land leaders from best to worst, the two Colonels are invariably come out at the top 2 worst leaders in S/land history.

The way the Colonels are leading S/land country doesn’t show any signs of promising future. S/land communities are socially and politically divided on tribal basis. And divided societies can’t built their future together. Even if they look these days like united people, the fever of tribalism will no doubt pull them at least in different directions.

The reason why the two Colonels are ranked as the worst S/land leaders is that they are predators instead of benefactors and the way in which they used to rule S/land country for the last seven years was actually like roaring lions and rushing bears seeking for whom to devour.

What crazy years! In so many ways these years have tested S/land citizens’ endurance, tolerance, and patience. There is no denial that S/land people have endurance and ability to tolerate and bear bad and poor governance. The effects of bad governing and poor leadership eventually reached a tipping point at which a tiny perturbation can qualitatively alter the existing system.

What was clear from the past years is that our nation was deeply divided. This divide showed itself in every area of social and political spectrum and leadership quality. How do we view the armed conflicts and political disputes that constantly loomed over S/land in a threatening way for the past years? Years of immoral doings like stealing, lying and betraying have in fact slowed down S/land’s social, economic and political progress.

How will history remember the consequences of Lasanod war? Why S/land army forces failed to fend off Sool clan armed militias? Who among us will forget how badly S/land troops were humiliated and defeated? Are we not fully aware that the two Colonels make decisions unilaterally, give no concern or consideration to what the people say, and simply expect compliance and obedience from all.

We knew well before their being elected to the highest of the country that the two Colonels are not proficiently problems-solvers, but only problem creators. They were known for their cynical plots to set SNM fighters against one another and divide them into clan affiliations.

The Colonels never in their life tried to become better than they were yesterday. They are still who they were yesterday and have even failed to gain enriching experiences through learning and leading. The current ubiquity of advertising themselves in this election time is certainly one of their most subtle and insidious policies.

The two Colonels led S/land to civil war in which the consequences of both human and material resources were great. Many Somali people, most of whom were teenagers, died in Lasanod war, pushing the death toll up to hundreds of thousands. Wasted military equipment, even if measurable, were also huge. Abuse of power accompanied by immoral corruption caused unwise utilization of national revenues and misuse of public property.

After nearly 7 years of political conflicts and clashes of ideas over the deliberate delays of the country’s constitutional presidential election by the two outlawed Colonels, S/land is eventually stumbling towards the presidential election.

This election is unlike any other in the nation’s history. This election is totally different from 2017 presidential election in the sense that it is all about the future for S/land.

The stakes are even higher because over the last seven years, the two Colonels in leadership positions have been increasingly and incredibly becoming more confused, more unstable and more unhinged year after year.

The nation is more divided tribally than we ever imagined. The two Colonels are the ones who have politically and socially divided the nation on tribal lines. And in fact, if left unattended, the division within the nation will only grow deeper and wider, if the two Colonels will remain in power.

A divided nation needs a united people. A divided nation needs a leader who has the sincerity and skill to unite. A divided nation cannot fix the troubling aspects of its life. That is the role leaders play.

The two Colonels don’t have the capacity to unite S/land people around the common cause. The two Colonels only excel at creating the conspiracy to divide people and keep them apart. And that is not what good, honorable and honest leaders do.

When confusion and incapability propel the Colonels into an orphan mindset, when ignorance and arrogance cloud their mind, and when selfishness and grudge beyond belief offers them aspirations to stay five more years in office through contravention of S/land constitution and conspiracy theories skew their thinking, where the S/land that we want would evolve from in the even that S/land population fails to remove the two Colonels out of the office through their collective choice in the coming presidential election?

The good news is that most S/landers are now aspiration-ally and enthusiastically talking about their future so much because they deeply care about how their lives will develop, and what they will leave to those who come after them.

The majority of S/land societies except some minorities wronged by emotions rather than insights, have come to realize that the two Colonels are not competent at all but in fact characteristically demagogic, with a difference. The difference is hysteria; an edgy hysteria which mesmerizes the Colonels’ entire mindset; a hysteria that easily melts into an arrogance that boarders on megalomania that makes the Colonels believe that they should serve the nation through a war against a perceived enemy. In Hitler’s case, the Jewish were the enemy. In the Colonels’ case, he who stands against them is the enemy within.

At the root of this public awareness is a sense in which most S/land are ready to address all pressing issues, things that matter in people’s lives that need an immediate remedy like getting rid of the two Colonels, the unchecked inflation, the corruption that leads from one avenue to another, the uncontrollable cost of living and failing public services.

The need for the impending hour tells us that S/land needs a leader that can get the people out of this tight situation; a leader that can swiftly take the society out of political quagmire; a leader that can unite S/land people again; a leader that can bring the change that S/land now requires; the real change that must revive the hope and harmony; the real real change that should heal the wounds; the real changes that have to break the barriers the Colonels put between S/land sister clans; the real change that should focus on bringing and building effectively the three core survival functions of any government :Justice, transparency and accountability.

It is, therefore, incumbent upon every S/land citizen to vote against the two Colonels and vote in favor for the right presidential candidate, who the majority of S/land people believe that the S/land most people want will survive and rest in his hands.

The ignorance and emotions that might lead one’s inked finger to voting for Muse Biix in this presidential election surely impairs S/land future.

Without fear or favor, it is of utmost importance to all S/land people to hand over the baton to the right candidate who the majority of S/land societies believe that the S/land most citizens want will survive and rest in his hands.

Everybody owns their own future and you’re the only one who can change it.
Finally, there is an old adage that says, “If you want peace, prepare for war.” The Colonels know that the majority of S/land people lost trust and confidence in them and that it is impossible for them to regain people’s trust even if they will mobilize miracles. The only option open for them is to create violence and fight between the communities living side by side in peace in S/land cities.

It is therefore recommended that both the public and parties supporters should remain vigilant against armed mercenaries hired by Kulmiye party for creating resident-to-resident altercation in all S/land cities, particularly areas which are the strongholds of Waddani party.

God bless S/land

By Jama Ismail (Jama Falaag)
jamafalaag@gmail.com

Hargeisa, Somaliland

As per usual the opinions expressed in this articale are those of
the author and do not reflect the opinions of qarannews.com

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